Torres & Bishop One-Shots
by fishnetsandwine
Summary: A compilation of one-shots I am writing, pulled from my Torres and Bishop Tumblr page. I will add each one shot that I post as a new chapter.
1. Way To Go, Einstein

"Way to go, Einstein," Bishop spat, making sure Nick knew just how much he was at fault.

A routine visit to a witness turned into a hostage situation, Bishop and Torres falling victim. On the surface, their witness Gretel was just that – _a witness_. In her late 80s, her lack of mobility hardly made her a suspect for murder. Long story short, Bishop and Torres were now seated in the center of Gretel's living room, tied at the hands by a rope, back to back in dining room chairs.

* * *

Bishop awoke to a throbbing headache, feeling like she'd been bashed over the head with a frying pan. The smallest amount of sunlight snuck through the curtains, letting her know she hadn't been unconscious for all that long.

She looked around the room in search for Gretel, but there was no sign of her. Wherever she went, Bishop just hoped she wasn't coming back any time soon.

"Nick," she whispered, hoping he had already regained consciousness, or was at the very least, alive. "Nick!"

Torres jolted awake, gasping for air. He soon realized his movements were stunted when he felt the rope burn against his skin. "Bishop? What the hell is going on? Are you okay?"

"I think so. Are you?" she asked, relieved to hear his voice.

"Yeah, yeah," he responded, trying to blink away his blurred vision. "I think we found our killer," he teased.

"No kidding, Nick," she said, letting out a dry laugh. "I found an untouched bottle of antipsychotics in her bathroom… What even happened? I stepped out of the room for one minute. Next thing I know, I'm taking a blow to the back of my head."

"I, uh… I think she may have drugged the tea," he admitted, slightly embarrassed.

"Way to go, Einstein," Bishop spat, making sure Nick knew just how much he was at fault.

"What?! How is this my fault?"

"Why would you even take a drink from a suspect?"

"She wasn't a suspect! She was a really nice, little old lady!" he defended. "Maybe if you could learn to hold your bladder, we wouldn't be in this mess!" he shot back.

Bishop let out a frustrated sigh. "Okay, we both let our guards down. Now we have to figure out how to get out of these chairs before she comes back."

"Oh… You mean like this?" Nick lifted his now free hands, smirking even though Bishop couldn't see his face.

"Wha –" Bishop started, turning her neck to see him now untying the rope at his feet. "You know what, nevermind. Just get me out of this!"

Torres moved fast and removed the rope from around Bishop's wrists, then kneeled at her feet to untie the rope at her ankles. He paused for a moment and looked up at Bishop with a perplexed look on his face.

"What?" she asked, half worried, half annoyed.

"Nothing, I just feel like I should have a ring. Or a glass slipper," he stated, then laughed.

Taking notice to his being on one knee, Bishop chuckled and playfully smacked him on the shoulder. Only Torres could make her laugh at a time like this.

Torres and Bishop got on their feet simultaneously, immediately searching for their weapons. Digging through drawers and searching under cushions, there was no way they were facing Gretel unprepared again.

"Torres!" Bishop called for him, finding the guns and handcuffs stored away in an ottoman. Nodding at each other, they split up and began searching the house, weapons up.

Turning the corner into the kitchen, a startled Gretel dropped a fresh batch of homemade cookies. "I just thought my new friends would like some snickerdoodles!" she exclaimed, putting her hands up in surrender. Bishop lowered her weapon.

Having heard the crash, Torres was quick to make it to Bishop. They looked at each other, feeling slightly sorry for this woman. Alas, Bishop pulled out her handcuffs and placed Gretel under arrest.


	2. What is Going On With You?

"What is going on with you?"

Bishop knew exactly what was going on — she was jealous — but now, standing in front of Nick, his concern evident, was she willing to admit it? If she did, there would be no going back.

 _THREE DAYS EARLIER_

Bishop and Torres exited the elevator together on a Monday morning, Bishop teasing Torres about another movie he hadn't seen. Before they even made it to the bullpen, Director Vance called out for Torres.

"Agent Torres. A word in my office?"

Torres looked at Bishop, trying to remember what rule he most recently broke. Drawing a blank, he followed Vance to his office.

Bishop sat at her desk for the next hour, unable to focus. She kept looking to the stairs and the longer they were up there, the more concerned she became.

"I'm sure everything's fine, Bishop." McGee wasn't oblivious to the growing connection between Bishop and Torres. Seeing his coworkers dance around their feelings for each other wasn't exactly a new concept to him.

"Huh?" Bishop was thrown back to reality, the scenarios playing through her mind disappearing for the moment. "What, no. I know. It's just… been over an hour. Why haven't they brought us in on it yet?"

As if right on cue, Torres emerged from Vance's office. He wasn't alone, and it wasn't Gibbs that caught her attention. It was Elena Silva.

Elena Silva, the daughter of Leo Silva… The woman that Torres was in a relationship with to get to said father. Any real feelings he may have had for her were never discussed, but seeing her, Bishop had a hard time believing he never cared for her that way.

Gibbs, Torres, and Elena all joined Bishop and McGee in the bullpen. Bishop watched an unusually silent Torres while Gibbs filled them in. He explained that Elena reached out to NCIS because she had reason to believe her father was planning something from inside prison. She would be working with the team as an informant on this case to make sure whatever her father was planning didn't see the light of day.

Afraid of the answer, Bishop didn't dare as Torres how he felt about working with Elena. As far as she knew, they hadn't seen or spoken to each other since he moved back to Washington, D.C.. Instead, over the next few days, Bishop sat back and watched as Torres started to relax around Elena, talking about "old times." Any hard feelings Elena may have harbored against him, it appeared time had fixed.

A few months prior, after a case where everyone's emotions were high, Nick had made a move on Bishop. While she initially reciprocated the kiss, she was quick to stop him before things got too far. And while they both acknowledged their feelings for each other, Bishop convinced him that it couldn't work between them. Gibbs would never allow it, and it was just too risky for the team. In reality, she feared this relationship would end in heartbreak just as her past relationships did. But since she's known him, Nick had become the one person she knew would be the hardest to lose.

Now, watching him reconnect with a woman he has a complicated, but deep history with, she found herself fantasizing about how things could be different if she hadn't turned him away that night.

They both kept their distance from each other during this case, only interacting when Gibbs assigned them together. Even then, car rides were quiet and uncomfortably long. A far stretch from the usual playful, karaoke-style car rides.

When the case reached its end, Elena approached Bishop at her desk. It was just the two of them in the bullpen, as McGee, Torres, and Gibbs were all busy finishing up with the men confirmed to be working with Elena's father.

"Agent Bishop," she started.

Looking up from her paperwork, Bishop waited for her to continue. They had barely spoken a word to each other during this whole case, which was no coincidence.

"Can I ask you… Do you know if Nick is seeing anyone?" Seeing the dumbfounded look on Bishop's face, Elena continued, "I know that's probably crazy of me to even ask, all things considered. It's just, spending that last few days with him… I don't know. I just want more time to get to know the real him."

Bishop was silent as her heart dropped to her stomach, her throat closed up, and tears threatened to form in her eyes. This was the moment she feared would happen. Even if it weren't today, even if it weren't with Elena, this fear of him finding somebody else and settling down, moving on… That is the fear she realized to be much worse than what she felt months ago.

Clearing her throat, Bishop spoke. "I'm sorry. Why are you asking _me_?" she asked genuinely. Why couldn't she have asked McGee? Based off of anything Elena would have seen in their time together, Bishop and Torres were barely acquaintances.

"Really? I thought you would know. He talks about you all the time. From what he says, you're his closest friend."

 _Friend._ Bishop paused, knowing she should tell Elena that Torres wasn't seeing anyone. And she _planned_ on saying that, but instead, "You know what? I, um… I think he actually has been seeing someone, now that you mention it."

Elena couldn't hide the disappointment from her face. "Oh, okay. Well thank you. And thank you so much for all your help with my father," she added politely.

"Elena, you're still here?" Torres asked, arriving back just in time.

"Just leaving, actually," she responded.

Torres grabbed his jacket and his duffel bag from his desk, then walked towards Elena. "I'll walk you out." He looked at Bishop, adding with a sad smile, "Good night, Bishop."

"Night, Torres," she echoed with a smile just as sad, watching them as they entered the elevator.

Bishop called it a night about 10 minutes after that, knowing she was too distracted to do the paperwork properly.

 _Breakfast at Tiffany's_ played on the television in her apartment, but she was as good as a million miles away. A knock on the door forced her out of her thoughts and she clicked her TV off. Looking through the peephole of her door, she froze when she saw Torres standing on the other side.

Before she could talk herself out of it, she opened the door. "Nick, hi."

"Hey, uh… can I come in?" he asked hesitantly. Bishop couldn't quite read the look on his face. Hurt? Confusion? Anger?

"Yeah, of course." Bishop stepped aside, shutting the door behind Torres.

Torres didn't waste any time. "Why did you tell Elena I was seeing someone?"

 _Crap_. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

"What is going on with you?"

Bishop knew exactly what was going on — she was jealous — but now, standing in front of Nick, his concern evident, was she willing to admit it? If she did, there would be no going back.

"Bishop, you've barely spoken a word to me since Elena showed up. The case is over. Can you please talk to me now?" he pleaded.

Taking a deep breath, Bishop thought of where to begin. "Honestly, watching you with Elena… this was one of the hardest cases of my career. I saw you two together and just watching you two reconnect —"

"Hold on," Torres interrupted. "What are you talking about? You think I have feelings for Elena?"

"Come on, Nick. I saw how difficult it was for you to be around her when she first showed up."

He shook his head. "Any feelings I had about Elena were feelings of guilt for what I put her through," he corrected, his voice starting to raise as his he became upset. "And what does that even matter to you? You made yourself very clear on why you and I would never work," he said, signaling between the two of them.

Bishop shut her eyes, wishing that not looking at him would make this conversation easier. "I know! I know that, and I shouldn't have lied to Elena. I'm sorry," she started, opening her eyes to look at Torres. "I just… I don't know."

They looked at each other for a good minute before Torres made the first move and walked to Bishop. He gently took her face in his hands. "Ellie," he whispered, begging for her to open up. In the two years they've known each other, she couldn't count on one hand the amount of times he'd called her by her first name.

With him staring into her eyes, her staring into his, she was flooded with a mix of emotions. Her eyes started to fill up as she found the courage to speak. "I can't lose you," she admitted, her voice breaking.

Nick's brows furrowed. "What are you talking about?" he asked, his voice as soft as Bishop had ever heard.

"Everyone I love, I lose. Jake. Qasim. If I lost _you_ …" A tear rolled down her cheek, Torres wiping it away with his thumb.

"Bishop —"

She slightly shook her head, having more to say. "But if this week has taught me anything, it's that I was going to lose you anyway. And I don't want to lose you because I'm afraid to _be_ with you."

"So what are you saying?" he asked, holding his breath.

Bishop reached up and wrapped her hands around Torres' wrists, his hands still cupping her face. She looked at him for another moment for closing the distance between them and pulling him into a kiss.


	3. If You Could Just Be Patient

There aren't many days that go by where Nick Torres doesn't find himself grateful to have Ellie Bishop by his side. Today is no exception, though the muffled curses under his breath may cause one to assume otherwise.

"If you could just be patient for two seconds," Bishop scolded. "You wouldn't have even gotten bitten by a snake."

Torres and Bishop were on a unique kind of stake out — one that required some undercover work. They were camping in the middle of the woods, waiting for a couple to show up that's been on the team's radar.

Knowing the usual radius of where the couple normally chose to camp out, Torres and Bishop did a parameter search. Finding an open tree trunk, Torres had the bright idea to search for any possible evidence. Bishop had asked him to wait while she went and grabbed a flashlight, but he laid on the ground anyway, sticking his arm into the unknown.

Bishop got back to Torres just in time to hear him let out a painful "Dammit!" and pull his arm from the trunk. He held his bicep and got back on his feet as Bishop watched a snake slither in the opposite direction. She knew just to look at it that was a non-venomous snake, lucky for Torres.

Torres looked up at her. "Oops."

Shaking her head, she walked over to him and took a look at the bite. "Come on," she said. "I have a first aid kit back at the campsite."

Torres sat down on one of the chairs they had brought as Bishop grabbed her first aid kit. She grabbed her canteen of water and Torres rolled up his sleeve. She poured some of the water over the bite, then grabbed the antibacterial soap to clean it out. He let out a hiss when it touched his open wound.

"Oh, does that sting?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Good," she told him. "If you could just be patient for two seconds," Bishop scolded. "You wouldn't have even gotten bitten by a snake."

Torres couldn't even argue with her on it. He knew it wasn't his shiniest moment.

"You're lucky that wasn't a rattlesnake or a copperhead," she continued.

"I know, I know. I could have blown the whole case," he finished for her.

Bishop stopped for a moment, Torres looking at her. "Nick, you could have gotten _killed_."

They looked at each other for a moment, not taking their importance to each other lightly. Letting her hand linger on his shoulder, she took gauze from the first aid kit and finished patching him up. They still had work to do.


	4. Stop Trying to Figure Me Out

Torres sat across from Bishop, ignoring her studying glare. He spoke up, "Stop trying to figure me out."

"Bullshit!" she exclaimed, nearly jumping out of her seat.

He looked up at her, emotionless. "Dammit, Bishop!" he retreated. He grabbed the stack of cards in the middle of the table, adding them into his pile.

The team was trapped at the Navy Yard for a while due to a nasty snowstorm. Bishop, Torres, and McGee were all sitting on the floor in the center of the bullpen playing Bullshit with a deck of cards.

"Torres, she can read you like an open book," McGee chimed in with a laugh.

"I know his tell," Bishop told him.

"I don't have a tell," Torres corrected, looking through his now large stack of cards.

"Don't you?" Bishop challenged.

Torres looked up at her, challenging her back with a stare down. After about ten seconds, he put his cards down. "Okay, I'm getting coffee."

Once he was out of ear shot, McGee asked, "So what's his tell?"

She scoffed. "He doesn't have one – it's Torres. He has the best poker face I've ever seen. No, I looked at his cards when you guys weren't paying attention."


	5. I Didn't Mean to Hurt You

"I didn't mean to hurt you," Bishop bargained. "I never did." Tears threatened to spill over – she knew where he was going with this.

This was just as hard on Torres as it was on Bishop, if not harder. Even though he was the one ending things, things had just become too difficult to continue the way they were.

One of Bishop's prior colleagues from the NSA – Amber – was working a case with NCIS, and Bishop was enjoying working alongside an old friend. That is, until she started asking questions about Bishop's dating life.

Bishop and Torres had been seeing each other for 6 months, unbeknownst to anyone besides themselves. When Amber, Bishop, and Torres were all in the bullpen waiting for McGee and Gibbs to return, Amber started investigating.

Both Bishop and Torres sat at their respective desks while Amber hovered around Bishop. "So, Ellie. Are you seeing anyone?" she asked.

Bishop froze for a moment, making eye contact with Torres. She looked back at Amber. "Uh, nope… Just… haven't had the time," she lied.

"You know, I have a friend that would be perfect for you," Amber told her. "Why don't I set you guys up for drinks tonight?"

Bishop stammered, "That's – no, that's fine. I don't think that's the best idea."

"Why not? Come on, can you tell me the last time you went out on a date?" Amber pushed, persistent as ever.

Unable to give a straight answer, Bishop remained silent.

"Exactly. Look, I promise, he's great. I'll text him now," Amber said. Bishop was starting to remember why she never hung out with Amber after she left the NSA.

Bishop looked at Torres again, who looked even more helpless than she felt.

They didn't get a moment alone together the rest of the day, which meant they couldn't talk about this "date" Bishop felt pressured into. Even at the end of the night, Amber clung to Bishop's side, talking this guy up until they got to their cars. Her date was already waiting for her. She greeted him politely, despite wanting to be anything but.

Bishop and Torres exchanged looks, both feeling like they should stop this whole thing from going any further. Still, they kept up the facade that they were nothing more than friends and coworkers.

"I'll see you later, Nick?" Bishop asked, hoping for any hint that he didn't hate her in that moment.

He nodded, smiling sadly. "Have a good time," he added. He stood and watched as the woman he loved walked away with another man.

Barely an hour passed before there was a knock at his apartment door. She breezed past him, hardly in the door before she began apologizing. "That was the most uncomfortable hour of my life, I swear. I am so sorry. I got out of there as soon as I could."

Torres was silent, and she turned to look at him. He kept his eyes on the floor, unable to say what he needed to say. "I can't do this," he finally spoke up, looking at Bishop.

Bishop furrowed her brows, thrown by his words. "What? Do what?"

Growing frustrated, Torres raised his voice. "This! Us! I can't keep this up anymore," he confessed. "Bishop, do you have any idea how it felt tonight to watch you walk off with another guy?"

"I didn't mean to hurt you," Bishop bargained. "I never did." Tears threatened to spill over – she knew where he was going with this.

This was just as hard on Torres as it was on Bishop, if not harder. Even though he was the one ending things, things had just become too difficult to continue the way they were.

"I know you didn't. But you did." Tears started to form in his own eyes. "I could understand not wanting to go public at first, but six months? I want to be able to introduce you to my friends, my _family_ , asmy girlfriend. Not my coworker. I want to take you out on dates, I want to be able to…" he stopped himself, his voice breaking. "I want to be able to spend my life with you, but I can't do that. Not with the way things are now."

Wiping away the tears falling on her cheeks, Bishop whispered, "I'm not ready."

And that was the truth. She wasn't ready to go public. She didn't know if she ever would be, and it wasn't because she didn't love Nick. She did, more than she had ever loved anyone. She worried that the moment they went public, everything would fall apart. She was desperate for Torres not to end things, but she couldn't force herself to face the fear of things turning out for Nick the way they turned out for Qasim.

And Torres didn't expect anything different. If six months didn't change her mind, an ultimatum wouldn't change it in one night. His voice almost a whisper, he walked towards her. "I know. And as much as it hurts to say this, I think the best thing for both of us is to just… take a step back from this. From us."

Torres reached for her hand, but afraid she'd break at his touch, she turned and walked out of his apartment.


End file.
